Distributer for high-tension igniting devices



IVI. SCHIIFER.

DISTRIBUTER FOR HIGH TENSION IGNITING DEVICES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE?7, I918.

Patented A 12,20 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAX SCHAFEB, OF STU'ETGART, GERMANY. ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, '10

AMERICAN BOSCH MAGNETO CORPORATION.

OF NEW YORK.

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

Application filed June 27. 1918. Serial No. 242,245.

To 1/ whole it may concern:

Be it known that 1, xx Sorrlirnu, a subject of the (rerman Emperor, residing at and whose post-oliice address is Stuttgart, Johannesstrasse 96, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Distributers for High-Tension Igniting Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to distributers for high tension ignition systems associated with multicylinder internal combustion engines, and particularly to gap dis tributers inwhich the sparking element of the rotor rotates or otherwise moves in close proximity to, but out of contact with the series of sparking elements of spark plug terminals of the distributer, that is it provides a gap in passing or rotates in spaced cooperation with the terminals, to which are connected the wires leading to respective spark plugs in the engine cylinders.

Heretot'ore it was necessary to use for the sparking element an expensive metal as nickel in order to withstand oxidization so well as not to require too frequent renewals due to pitting and burning thereof upon sparking and arcing upon passage of ignition currents between the rotor element and each of the spark plug terminal elements in turn. Not only does the expensive metal increase the cost of the distributer and especially the renewals therefor to an appreciable extent, but the arrangement interferes with the continued effectiveness of the magneto or battery ignition system of which the distributer is a'vital part.

In place of an expensive metal capable of withstanding oxidization to a high degree, I use for the sparking elements a cheap metal, as iron. which is easily oxidizable,

that is one which withstands oxidization to a materially less degree than nickel. but l eliminate the frequent renewals that would otherwise be necessary by providing each spark plug terminal, or the rotor, but prefera'bly both of those parts of the distributer, with an adjustable sparking element so as to have a plurality of ditierent positions of cooperation. Thus after one part ot' the 3 the spark sparking surface of the element becomes pitted or burned away in operation, another part may be brought into cooperation, and so on until the whole of the sparking surface capable of cooperation is unfit for further operation. Preferably the sparking element of each spark plug terminal, or of the rotor, or of both, has sparking edges, and where the sparking edges are provided on the sparking elements of both the rotor and plug terminals, those edges are arranged to extend at an angle to each other in cooperation, so as to better maintain a fixed gap length.

The sparking element of each spark plug terminal. or of the rotor, may have the form of a cylinder. disk. polygon or any suitable body, and either or both may be adjustable at will or t'reely rotatablein order to bring different parts of its sparking surface, or different sparking edges, into cooperation.

The foregoing features may be variously combined in accordance with my invention,

a number of the possible forms of construction and arrangement of the sparking elements being shown in the accompanying drawings, Figures-l to 12, illustrating ditterent embodiments.

in each of the embodiments illustrated. the distributer disk (0 of insulating material has embedded in it a series of spark plug terminals 6 each having an iron sparking element 0 pooperating with an iron sparking element 0' of a rotor adapted to be rotated or otherwise moved by the engine to a fixed speed ratio determined in accordance with well known principles. llach wire (Z leading to a spark plug in an engine cylinder .in the well known way is connected "to the sparking element of an individual spark plug terminal of the distributer by a screw 7.

in Fig. l the cylindrical sparking element 0 is held in adjusted position against its spark plug terminal F) by a screw, and connection is made to the conductor of the wire (Z by the screw As in the remaining embodiments illustrated, excepting in Fig. 6. the sparking surface of the element 0 has a. large number of sparking edges milled axially along the outer periphery thereof. The sparking element c may be adjusted at will wlienevcr the active edges become pitted or burned away by loosening the screw holdi to a new tightened position to bring different mg it against the spark plug terminal I), turning it to a new position of cooperation with the sparking element 0 of the rotor, and finally tightening the screw.

In Fig. 2, the"cylindrical head 0 of the screw forms the adjustable sparking element of the spark plug terminal, the washers 9' being removed serz'atz'm and the screw turned sparking edges into cooperation with the sparking 'element of the rotor.

In Fig. 3, the head 0 of the screwforms the sparking element and the shank f supports it in adj usted'position and also pierces the wire (Z to connect them electrically.

In Fig. 4, the sparking element 0 is loosely mounted on a stud screw so as to freely turn in operation as a result of vibration, the passage of sparks, and upon being cleansed. In this way the entire sparking surface is burned away more uniformly and without manual adjustment.

In Fig. 5 also, the sparking element 0 is freely rotatable but the screw f supports it as well as connecting it directly to the wire (Z.

In Fig. 6, the sparking element c has the form of a polygon and is locked in adjusted position on the screw f by the screw it.

In Fig. 7, the wire leading to the spark plug is connected to the spark plug terminal I) by a binding post, the sparking element 0 being held in adjusted position by a screw.

In Fig. 8, the sparking element 0 is held in adjusted position by a spring and engaging notches, as shown.

In Fig. 9, the wire (Z is connected to the spark plug terminal 71 by the screw f enter-v ing from the rear of the distribnter disk (1.

In Fig-10, the sparking element 0 is freely rotatable on a pin extending between the prongs of a yoke of which the screw f is a part."

In Fig. 11, the nuts i of the binding posts extend around the rear face of the distributer disk (1 instead of around the outer peripherv thereof as in F ig. 10.

.In Fig. 12, the spark plug terminal 7) is angle shaped, one limb of which carries the spark element 0 and the other limb of which carries the connectin screw f.

In all of these em odiments the sparking element 0' of the rotor may be a cylinder, disk, polygon, or other suitable body, either solid or laminated, and may be adjustable or freely rotatable on the rotor of the dis tributer. So also. its sparking surface may likewise be smooth, chased, or formed of milled edges. lVhere both the sparking elements of the rotor and the spark plug elements have edges, they are preferably arranged at right angles to each other in cooperation so that in any position of adjust- -ment of either. the gap between them is of fixed length. For this reason, and also because spark ng is facilitated, the sparking elements preferably have sparkin edges arranged in this way, as shown in igs. 3, 1,0, 11 and 12.

In Fig. 3, the sparking element 0' of the rotor'is freely rotatable in the yoke c, as may also be the case in all of the embodiments, excepting Fig. 12 in which the sparking element is formed by the head a of a screw adapted to be screwed into and out of the rotor for adjustment. In Figs. 3, ll) and 12, the rotor of the distributer is shown on a horizontal axis whereas in Fig. 11. it is shown on a vertical axis. In Figs. 11 and 12, the axes of the adjustable elements 0 are vertical, whereas in the remaining embodiments the axes thereof are horizontal.

It is obvious that various arrangements other than those illustrated are included within the invention, the sparking elements being capable of rearrangement and change in a great variety of ways, the essential feature being that either sparking elements 0 of the spark plug terminals or the sparking elements 0' of the rotor, or both, are adjustable to bring different parts of their sparking surface, or different sparking edges. into cooperation so that easily oxidizable metal, as iron, may be used in place of the more expensive nickelhertofore used for this purpose.

Having thus described what I claim is:

1. In a gap distributer. a series of spark plug terminals each having an adjustable element with sparking edges of easily oxidizable metal, and a rotor having a sparking element arranged to provide a gap in passing said terminals, each adjustable element being rotatably supported to bring different sparking edges into cooperation with the sparking element of the rotor.

2. lnagap distributer, a series of spark plug terminals each having a rotatably supported element with sparking edges of easily oxidizable metal, and a rotor having sparking edges arranged to extend at an angle to the sparking edges of said terminals in spaced cooperation therewith.

3. In a gap distributor, a series of spark plug terminals each having a freely rotatable element with sparking edges of easily oxidizable metal, and a rotor having a sparking element arranged to'provide a gap in passing the sparking edges of said terminals.

4. In a gap distributer, a series of spark plug terminals each having a sparking element, and a rotor having a rotatably mounted element with sparking edges of easily oxidizable metal arranged to provide a gap in passing the sparking elements of said terminals.

In a gap distributer, a series of spark plug terminals each having an element with sparking edges. and a rotor having a rotamy invention,

tably mounted element with sparking edges of easily oxidizable metal arranged to extend at an angle to the sparking edges of said terminals in spaced cooperation therewith. i

6. In a gap distributer, a series of spark plug terminals each having an adjustable element with a sparking surface of easily oxidizable metal, and a rotor having an adjustable element with a sparking surface of easily oxidizable metal arranged to provide a gap in passin the adjustable elements of said terminals, 0th adjustable elements being rotatably supported to bring different parts of their sparking surfaces into cooperation.

7 In a gap distribut'er, a series of spark plug terminals each having a rotatably supported element with sparking edges of easily oxidizable metal, and a rotor having a rotatably supported element with sparking edges of easily oxidizable metal, the sparking edges of the rotor element being arranged to extend at an angle to those of the terminal elements in spaced cooperation therewith.

8. In a gap distributer, a series of spark plug terminals each having a sparking element, and a rotor having a freely rotatable element with sparking edges of easily oxidizab'le metal arranged to provide a gap in passing the sparking elements of said terminals.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MAX SCHAFER.

Witnesses PAUL WOLFART, AnoLF LEBBERs. 

